EEH: How to be SMART about your New Year’s resolutions

The new year often brings resolve and determination to change some aspect of life.

“New Year’s resolutions have become so ingrained in our collective consciousness that we may feel a pressure to find something, anything, that may be wrong with ourselves and then seek out a quick fix,” says Robert Allanson, LCPC, clinical therapist for Linden Oaks Behavioral Health.

But too often people aren’t prepared to carry out the resolution. In fact, a Gallup survey reveals that 80 percent of people who make resolutions on New Year’s Day have abandoned those goals by February.

“If we’re not realistic about the change we’re trying to make, we’re asking for it to fall apart pretty quickly,” Allanson says.

Allanson recommends giving some thought to resolutions and setting a SMART goal:

• Specific: Instead of a goal to lose weight, define specifically what that means, the steps to achieve the goal and why it matters.
• Measurable: List some ways to measure success. While there may be some obvious measures, delve a little deeper to find other ways that will show success. For example, if losing weight is a goal, the scale is often the most obvious way to measure success. But there are other ways to show success. Did the doctor discontinue medication that was no longer needed it? Can someone participate in activities they couldn’t do before?
• Attainable: Ask whether the goal is realistic and achievable. For example, if the goal is to go to the gym every day for two hours but someone hasn’t seen the inside of a gym in years, they might want to reframe the goal to a more reasonable expectation.
• Relevant: Does the goal matter? Why is it important? Finding the “why” will serve as motivation when others are dropping their resolutions.
• Timely: Mark a time frame to achieve the goal. It’s also a good idea to set smaller goals along the way. For example, if the goal is to complete a home remodeling project, set dates to complete certain parts of the project.

Allanson says January 1 is not the only day of the year to make resolutions.

“If you want to make an April 4th resolution, that’s fine too,” Allanson says. The trick, he says, is to make a resolution based off personally important values rather than shame.

“Everyone can rattle off all the things that are wrong with them,” he says. But rather than “giving up” something or “fixing” some part of life, try to approach the resolution setting from the standpoint of adding something desirable to life.

“Then it becomes about enhancing your life as opposed to ‘I must change, I must change, I must change,’” Allanson says. “We’re making a resolution based on value rather than shame.”

Instead of using the start of a new year to reflect on what is wrong, Allanson suggests taking an honest inventory of successes from the past year and celebrating strengths.

“From there, you can start to explore and identify areas you would like to improve or grow that can further bring meaning to your life by building upon your strengths,” he adds.

Lastly, when making your resolution, leave room for compassion. A slip weeks into the new year shouldn’t spell an end to the process. People should reassess and adjust if needed, get back on track and don’t beat themselves up.

“There needs to be room for human error,” Allanson says. “No one is going to be perfect every week. We need to practice self-compassion.”

Get more information at EEHealth.org/services/behavioral-health.